


A Fifth Dimension Beyond That Which is Known to Man

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Category: Justified
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Gen, Kid Fic, Non canon compliant, Please Don't Hurt Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-22
Updated: 2013-07-22
Packaged: 2017-12-21 01:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hell on Earth. Play dates.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fifth Dimension Beyond That Which is Known to Man

Some days he finds himself on Ava and Boyd Crowder’s front porch for reasons other than Marshaling, and it feels like the damn Twilight Zone.

A Twilight Zone where his baby girl and their baby boy have play dates.

Hell on earth. Play dates. 

He knocks on the door and steps back, adjusting his hat. He sees Ava moseying over, apron over her dress, and no shoes. Her grin is easy and he always marvels at that. Woman like her can be so damn winsome, he’ll never know.

“Ava.” 

“Hi, Raylan,” she says. She’s pleasant. She usually is these days.

“Shelley ready to go?” 

“Should be,” Ava says, leaning back. “Shelley, your daddy’s here!”

Michelle Frances Givens is five, with lots of red hair and big dark eyes just like his. She’s got freckles and she’s skinny, her kickin’ around jeans baggy on her. She’s smart and sweet and good-hearted as all get-out and there are days Raylan boggles at the very notion that this is his child at all, because she’s nothing like him. 

Or maybe she’s exactly like he woulda been under different circumstances.

Shelley gives Ava a quick hug before hopping out the door and jumping up for Raylan to catch her. 

He does easily, but makes a show of stumbling back. “Whoa. Hey, there, Darlin. You have fun today?”

Shelley nods and smiles. “Yes! We played in the trees and Josh an’ Uncle Boyd an’ I played tag and Aunt Ava made us grilled cheese!” 

Raylan grins a little and looks to Ava. “Just so long as she don’t make you fried chicken.”

Ava gives an eye roll. “She was good as gold today, Raylan. Don’t know how you managed to make such a little angel.” 

Raylan shrugs and kisses Shelley’s cheek. “Bye, Ava. You tell Boyd he best stay outta trouble.”

“No marshaling when you’re daddying,” Ava reminds him. “You know the rules.” 

Shelley giggles, and Raylan can’t help grinning at it. “Yeah, I know the rules.”

“Then why you keep breakin em’?” Boyd asks from behind Ava. He’s carrying his own kid. Joshua Bo Crowder is fair skinned and blonde haired. His face is dirty and his brown eyes a little warier than Raylan would like. 

He nods to them politely. “Boyd. Josh.”

“Raylan.” 

“Hi, Uncle Raylan,” Josh waves.

God damn Twilight Zone. 

“Should get goin,” Raylan says. He reaches out and ruffles Josh’s hair before heading down the porch.

He hears Shelley blow the Crowders a kiss, and shakes his head just slightly before getting the car door open and settling the little girl in her car seat. 

“How come you never stay long, Daddy?” Shelley asks. Her little hands are still gripping his thin t-shirt. It’s something she does when she’s feeling a little insecure about life. She just grabs on.

“Well, Uncle Boyd an’ I we don’t always get along,” Raylan says, as he takes his hat off and sets it on the little girl’s head. 

She giggles and tugs the hat down. “You an’ Uncle Boyd should be nice to each other.”

Raylan doesn’t tell his baby girl that he’ll be nice to Boyd Crowder when Boyd stops pushing drugs and killing people in cold blood. He just says “yeah,” and pushes the hat up a little to kiss her forehead before closing the car door.


End file.
